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The couple opened the doors to the Flagler Beachfront Winery at 611 N. Oceanshore Blvd. on March 1, offering customers a variety of wines and craft beers with a wide open view of the ocean.

But unlike a shop that simply sells wine by the glass and bottle, the Tarsitanos are winemakers as well.

"Our model is following the micro-brewery idea," said Ken Tarsitano.

The couple already owns and operates Tarsitano Vineyards and Winery in Ohio, which Ken Tarsitano said is "one of the few certified organic wineries east of the Mississippi."

The couple bought a home in Flagler County about a year and a half ago and Ken said the impetus to open a winery at the beach came from his wife.

"This is basically my wife's dream, to be here on the ocean," he said.

As the couple hurried to make preparations for the winery's opening, Ken Tarsitano said the operation is "a work in progress" and that the business would develop organically.

"People are going to see us grow and see our family grow," he said, referring to his three children, Isabella, 6, Brant, 4, and Mia, 3.

The "work in progress" idea is evident on the outside deck in front of the shop. Ken said the tables on the deck are made from wine barrels he initially bought to use as part of the winemaking process, but realized he did not have the storage capacity and instead cut them in half to use as tables.

Right now the winery uses grapes from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California, but Ken said for next year's vintage he is looking at grapes from Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Virginia.

"We're also going to keep our eyes on Florida," he said.

The Flagler Beachfront Winery also offers craft beers on tap and a selection of grilled flatbreads with a variety of toppings, including avocado, basil, brie and prosciutto, artichoke and chocolate.

Making the wine to sell was only one of the tasks facing the Tarsitanos. In addition to finding the right space and renovating a former Pizza Hut restaurant on State Road A1A, there were many federal, state and local regulations to follow and a lot of permits to secure.

"We had to get a federal permit to make wine and a state permit and we have to get another license to sell it retail," he said.

The couple also had to work closely with Flagler Beach officials to get the proper permits. In fact, because the city had never had a winemaking operation seek permits to operate, officials had to make changes to existing land development regulations.

"It was a big step for us when Ken first approached and we looked at what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it," said Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell. "The first thing we discovered is that the building is in the general commercial zoning district."

That was a problem, Campbell said, because there is no permitted use in the general commercial district for a standalone winery.

"We actually had to amend the land development regulations to allow boutique wineries in the district," he said. "That was the challenge."

Campbell said it was worth "tweaking" the land development regulations to bring the business to Flagler Beach.

"It's a nice business, a nice fit," he said. "We didn't believe it was that far of a stretch. It's probably something that should have been allowed all along."

Campbell said the winery will be a good addition to the city.

"I think it's something our visitors will enjoy and something our residents are going to enjoy," he said. "We try to find a way to make it work in Flagler Beach if at all possible."

For Ken Tarsitano, the challenges of getting the business off the ground will be replaced by the ongoing challenge of running a business — with the added factor of producing wine. But he is content to meet those challenges and is focused on making the best wine he can and offering customers something new and different.

"We don't want to feed the world, but we want to have a diverse product out there all the time," he said. "We want to have high quality wines and we want to have fun on the beach."

<p>FLAGLER BEACH &mdash; March came in like a lion with chilly temperatures, and Ken and Kelly Tarsitano are hoping the month roars. </p><p>The couple opened the doors to the Flagler Beachfront Winery at 611 N. Oceanshore Blvd. on March 1, offering customers a variety of wines and craft beers with a wide open view of the ocean. </p><p>But unlike a shop that simply sells wine by the glass and bottle, the Tarsitanos are winemakers as well. </p><p>"Our model is following the micro-brewery idea," said Ken Tarsitano. </p><p>The couple already owns and operates Tarsitano Vineyards and Winery in Ohio, which Ken Tarsitano said is "one of the few certified organic wineries east of the Mississippi." </p><p>The couple bought a home in Flagler County about a year and a half ago and Ken said the impetus to open a winery at the beach came from his wife. </p><p>"This is basically my wife's dream, to be here on the ocean," he said. </p><p>As the couple hurried to make preparations for the winery's opening, Ken Tarsitano said the operation is "a work in progress" and that the business would develop organically. </p><p>"People are going to see us grow and see our family grow," he said, referring to his three children, Isabella, 6, Brant, 4, and Mia, 3. </p><p>The "work in progress" idea is evident on the outside deck in front of the shop. Ken said the tables on the deck are made from wine barrels he initially bought to use as part of the winemaking process, but realized he did not have the storage capacity and instead cut them in half to use as tables. </p><p>Right now the winery uses grapes from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California, but Ken said for next year's vintage he is looking at grapes from Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Virginia. </p><p>"We're also going to keep our eyes on Florida," he said. </p><p>The Flagler Beachfront Winery also offers craft beers on tap and a selection of grilled flatbreads with a variety of toppings, including avocado, basil, brie and prosciutto, artichoke and chocolate. </p><p>Making the wine to sell was only one of the tasks facing the Tarsitanos. In addition to finding the right space and renovating a former Pizza Hut restaurant on State Road A1A, there were many federal, state and local regulations to follow and a lot of permits to secure. </p><p>"We had to get a federal permit to make wine and a state permit and we have to get another license to sell it retail," he said. </p><p>The couple also had to work closely with Flagler Beach officials to get the proper permits. In fact, because the city had never had a winemaking operation seek permits to operate, officials had to make changes to existing land development regulations. </p><p>"It was a big step for us when Ken first approached and we looked at what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it," said Flagler Beach City Manager Bruce Campbell. "The first thing we discovered is that the building is in the general commercial zoning district." </p><p>That was a problem, Campbell said, because there is no permitted use in the general commercial district for a standalone winery. </p><p>"We actually had to amend the land development regulations to allow boutique wineries in the district," he said. "That was the challenge." </p><p>Campbell said it was worth "tweaking" the land development regulations to bring the business to Flagler Beach. </p><p>"It's a nice business, a nice fit," he said. "We didn't believe it was that far of a stretch. It's probably something that should have been allowed all along." </p><p>Campbell said the winery will be a good addition to the city. </p><p>"I think it's something our visitors will enjoy and something our residents are going to enjoy," he said. "We try to find a way to make it work in Flagler Beach if at all possible." </p><p>For Ken Tarsitano, the challenges of getting the business off the ground will be replaced by the ongoing challenge of running a business &mdash; with the added factor of producing wine. But he is content to meet those challenges and is focused on making the best wine he can and offering customers something new and different. </p><p>"We don't want to feed the world, but we want to have a diverse product out there all the time," he said. "We want to have high quality wines and we want to have fun on the beach."</p><p> </p><p></p><p><b>If you go</b></p><p><b>WHAT:</b> Flagler Beachfront Winery</p><p><b>WHERE:</b> 611 N. Oceanshore Blvd.</p><p><b>HOURS:</b> Noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday</p><p><b>CONTACT:</b> 386-693-4950 or flaglerbeachfrontwinery.com</p>